Hello, Laurel Canyon.
“If I Wanted Someone” by Dawes recalls the great Southern California music of Crosby, Stills & Nash, Neil Young and others, but the song remains distinctly their own.
It has been in regular rotation for me for more than a decade, and repeated listening keeps revealing new details. Right now, I’m especially appreciating the piano and the way it functions as both a melodic instrument and a source of percussion. It doesn’t merely decorate the arrangement—it helps propel the entire song.
Take time to read the lyrics. Taylor Goldsmith spends much of the song declaring all the things he doesn’t need another person to do for him. He can take care of himself. He doesn’t need to be repaired, supported or explained.
But that isn’t quite the whole truth. Independence only gets you so far. We all need somebody to make the days move easy.